Molly Baltman Leonard is the Program Director of Strong Families at the Richard L. Duchossois Foundation. Most recently, Molly served as Vice President in Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase & Co, leading Careers & Skills investments in Chicago and the philanthropy market strategy in Canada. Prior to JPMorganChase, Molly held the Economic Opportunity Director position at the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, advancing racial, ethnic, and economic equity by partnering with communities to increase community investment. Under her leadership, the foundation launched a new strategy to build community wealth, grow family income, and support equitable access to capital investments within a neighborhood-based framework. Over her 15-year tenure at McCormick, Molly guided over $40 million in investments in workforce development, education and health for corporate giving committees affiliated with the Tribune Company. Molly helped launch the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance in 2012, supporting career pathway programs, employer-led workforce solutions and systems change to reduce barriers to quality employment for marginalized job seekers. In 2021, Molly completed the Fulcrum Fellowship through the Center for Community Investment where she developed strategies to support indigenous neighborhood organizations to better direct investments in their communities. Prior to her work in philanthropy, Molly served seven years as Executive Director of Archeworks Design Lab. Born and raised in Detroit, Molly attended Michigan State University and Macomb Community College before attending the University of Chicago where she received an A.M. in Social Policy and Administration. She lives in Chicago with her husband and twin children.
Capital Absorption
